20 May 2013

I sent Manchester United an email a month ago about Ron Atkinson's appearances on MUTV. They've just replied.

From: Jack
McInroy

Sent: 23
April 2013 13:28

To: mutv@manutd.co.uk

Subject: Ron
Atkinson on MUTV

Dear Sir/Madam

Yesterday was a glorious one Manchester
United Football Club. The club clinched a record 20th title, but I can’t help
feeling that for anyone watching MUTV's coverage the day was tarnished by the
presence of Ron Atkinson. I am curious why Manchester United Football Club/MUTV
think it is in any way acceptable to hire Atkinson as a pundit.

Ron Atkinson was fired from ITV in 2004
when he referred to Marcel Desailly as a 'f**king lazy nigger'. I'm sure this
is not news to you.

Plenty of people live with a degree of
prejudice, much of which is deeply ingrained by their upbringing and living in
a society where for many years racist attitudes and language were accepted,
even encouraged.

Ron Atkinson said this in 2004, a time
when the derogatory use of the word 'nigger' had been universally accepted as
offensive and socially unacceptable for decades.

Atkinson's outburst shows that he
believes that black people are inherently lazy and unintelligent and not worthy
of anything other than offensive language. It is not unusual for people to have
racist thoughts, express racism in the privacy of their own home and espouse
ignorant casual racism, but in this case, a man in the presence of others in
the workplace, called someone the most hate-loaded word in the English
language. Not only that, but he thought of a sentence and two adjectives to put
in front of it before saying it, showing it was not a slip of the tongue. There
can be no doubt it's a word he uses regularly when the microphones are off.

Atkinson apologised, in the process
suggesting he was some kind of civil rights pioneer for picking non-white
players to for his teams. He said the incident was 'an aberration', and that he
isn't a racist man, but the apology cannot be accepted until he admits that the
opposite is true - he is a racist man. Until he is openly ashamed of what he is
(or was) as well as what he said and there is evidence he is a reformed
character, he must not be forgiven.

Since the incident he has been broadcast
and/or employed by Sky, William Hill, Channel Four, Swindon Town FC and most
unsettling of all, the BBC. The fact that these companies have chosen to hire
Atkinson after his vile statement is no excuse for Manchester United to follow
suit.

What type of message do you think this
sends out about Manchester United and MUTV’s attitude towards racism? I'll tell
you - it says that club allegiances and viewing figures are more important to
Manchester United than the feelings, rights and progress of ethnic minorities.

What would someone have to say to be
vetoed from presenting on MUTV?

"F**king lazy nigger". If you
are a decent human being reading those words will give you a feeling of unease
deep in your stomach. Those are the ones he consciously uttered. Is this the
type of person you're happy to have on the club's payroll?

Yours faithfully

Jack McInroy

From: mutv@manutd.co.uk

Sent: 20 May
2013 10:51

To: Jack
McInroy

Subject: RE:
Ron Atkinson on MUTV

Dear Mr McInroy

Thank you very much for your
email. We take our viewers’
opinions very seriously.

We currently use Ron Atkinson as a
studio guest when he is relevant and as the last Manager here before Sir Alex,
and as an experienced television pundit, we consider him a valid option for our
programming.

No-one would ever condone what he did
but equally we don’t think any reasonable person would condemn him to a life in
exile for a mistake for which he has expressed sincere regret and that he has
paid for many years.

8 May 2013

I spoke to Ramon Isaac who writes the Chelsea blogMowing Meadows. He's also well worth following on twitter - @MowingMeadows. Unlike most Chelsea fans, he knows what he is.

Jack McInroy: Hello, Ramon. Sunday’s win
against the Manchester United players who needed a few more appearances to get
a medal makes it highly unlikely Chelsea's dreadful season will end on a bum
note. How do you think Chelsea v Spurs will go on
Wednesday and would you agree that regardless of the result Chelsea will
qualify for the Champions League?How has it happened that Chelsea are battling
with Tottenham and Arsenal, two clubs with relatively meagre budgets, rather
than challenging the other super rich clubs for the title?Ramon Isaac: Hi Jack. I owe a debt of
gratitude to Sir Alex for allowing us to play against a weaker United side.My head tells me Chelsea should win, I mean
STATS are on our side! The fact we have Juan Mata also helps and the
potentially returning Eden Hazard. My heart, the ever pessimist, says you might
sneak away with a victory and to make matters worse it will probably be a 90th
minute screamer from the one with the heart celebration. Football is cruel like
that. I think we will qualify now regardless and
maybe you winning might knock Arsenal out the Champions League and take away
the only solace Wenger still clings on to. We've spent a lot of money badly for starters
and sold/loaned players out that had more to contribute than some of the
deadwood that still lingers, riding the coat tails of our three amigos.
Secondly, Fernando Torres. The final part might be to do with management or
lack of it. Benitez has though finally realised that playing your best team can
result in wins, often. Who knew?! Speaking of managers, witnessing the magic of
Harry Houdini at QPR must make you glad that you have Villas-Boas as manager? You've been plagued with injuries to the
midfield pair of Sandro and Dembele, will it be a case of 'what if' come
the end of the season?Jack: There’s a been a big Redknapp backlash
over the last couple of years. I don’t quite have the ill feeling toward him a
lot of Spurs fans do, but neither do I have much affection for a man who
referred to Spurs fans as ‘idiots’. But I’m not particularly enamoured with nouveau
riche West London clubs, so seeing QPR go down has been a pleasure regardless
of Redknapp’s involvement.I’m reluctant to blame injuries for
Tottenham’s shortcomings. Sandro and Younes Kaboul are two of our best players,
but other than those two the injury situation hasn’t been awful. All clubs get
them. We’ve had Bale fit all season, which is the main thing.Andre Villas-Boas has done an excellent job
so far. He’s did extraordinary work at Porto but poorly at Chelsea and for the
first couple of months of his Spurs career it looked like it could go either
way. The fact that this squad, which has probably four (fit) players that the
likes of Manchester City and Manchester United might covet, has Champions
League qualification in its own hands a couple of weeks before the end of the
season is as good as we could have hoped for.Chelsea’s squad is far superior, as I alluded
to earlier, we really have no right to be neck and neck this late in the
season. I think we’re capable or a win at Stamford Bridge, certainly getting a
draw, but given the rest of the fixtures any hope of finishing above your lot
has gone out the window with that United game.Seeing how Spurs have done this season under
AVB are there any regrets about getting rid of him? How much blame should the
Chelsea fans shoulder for Rafael Benitez’s results? I think Benitez crimes
against Chelsea were minimal and to be so unsupportive from day one is hugely
counterproductive, essentially an act of self-sabotage, but not a surprise
given the collective personality of the Chelsea fanbase.Ramon: Are you suggesting you don't like
Chelsea? I'm hurt. I always had a soft spot for Villas-Boas, the
fact Mata looked like his love child perhaps played a greater role than it
should have in my estimation of him, but I was really fond of that Porto side
for the season it had under him. I don't regret getting rid of him because we
became 'Champions of Europe'! Although I, like yourself towards Redknapp, have
no bad feeling towards him as some do. He was put in a difficult position and
his inexperience led to his downfall. He is a good manager though. Also, he's a
suave character.I personally think he's got a fair chunk of
the blame to shoulder. The players at times have under performed to an extent
and yes the board made a monumental $#!% up by ignoring the fans and appointing
Benitez for a club hero in Di Matteo, they also left the squad with not enough
depth to cope with our busiest schedule ever. Yet, at the end of the day it
isn't the board's fault that after employing him, he decided to not play our
three best players in the same side till about a couple months of ago. He's
pissed off multiple players in his time here and that is a sign of poor man
management. Materazzi will confirm this. The negativity towards him was
counter-productive but it was necessary. Chelsea fans felt distanced from the
club and responded, there are plenty of people who understand our feeling and
feel they would have done the same if placed in our position. He had a pop at
our fans as the manager of a rival team and that simply wasn't on. I wish him
no ill but I can't wait till he is far away from Chelsea. The recent trend of
praising him is all the more bemusing. We were 4 points off the lead and now
struggling to guarantee Champions League football. He's praised for recovering
from his own mistakes. A bit like Kyle Walker.Tottenham's struggles have striking
similarities to Chelsea this season and that is a lack of attacking options,
with that in mind, would you rather have Adebayor and Defoe or Torres and Ba? Just how good is Gareth Bale and is he
staying beyond this season?Jack: I agree that Benitez doesn't deserve
all this credit that's suddenly been thrust upon him. The Chelsea squad is far
superior to Arsenal’s and Tottenham’s and he’s had more than enough time to get
them playing. The fact that he has led Chelsea to the Europa League final
should not be regarded as any kind of achievement. Roy Hodgson, Martin O’Neill
and Steve McClaren have all done the same in the last decade with much lesser
squads, which gives you an indication of the competition's credibility. To your sly dig at Kyle Walker I say fair
enough. Last year he was in the PFA team of the season, but he's been nowhere
near this time round. Adebayor has also failed to replicate last year’s form.
It's like having two of your best players leave. How dare you compare Tottenham’s lack of
attacking options and Chelsea’s! Adebayor and and Defoe are literally all we
have up front. If we'd have Romelu Lukaku at the club he certainly wouldn't
have been loaned out. Obviously Torres has been a disastrous signing, but Demba
Ba's great (how about that goal in the FA Cup semi-final!). As good as Defoe
is, if he doesn't score he contributes nothing else and Adebayor seems to be
the opposite this season - lots of unselfish running, but very few goals. If
Bale hadn't moved his game up to to a ridiculously consitent level we'd be down
there with Everton and Liverpool. Bale is an explosive footballer. His
ascendancy to the very top of world football is no surprise to me. He was a
complete player in his teens. His final ball, the most important indicator of how
good a young player is, was lethal when he joined the club. There's no chance he'll
stay if we finish outside the top four and even if we do an offer from someone
like Real Madrid or Manchester City may be too tempting to resist. He deserves
to be winning major trophies and even if he stays, Spurs won't be doing that. Chelsea owe all their success to Roman
Abramovich, which is fitting for a club that were not formed by workers or
choir boys, but by a rich man with an empty stadium. Do some Chelsea fans
geniunely want their Chelsea back? With the money your chairman will no doubt
spend, is a return to success inevitable? Who do you want to be the next
Chelsea manager?Ramon: Woah, woah, woah! I am not including
Lukaku in this conversation because he is quite clearly our best striker. Much
like Defoe, Ba offers very little in terms of footballing ability and cannot
do much else but finish. That being said, he is a player that scores incredible
goals. The idea that we want our Chelsea back isn't
to do with a pre-Abramovich period but just to feel connected with the club. It
isn't really that much to ask for. It is the least any fan would ask for, it
isn't an insult towards Roman, we owe everything to that Russian Oligarch but
being considered in his decision making is hardly an outrageous view to take. I
want my Chelsea back but I want my Roman to stay. They aren't mutually
exclusive. If a Chelsea fan realistically wants Abramovich out the club, are
they willing to sacrifice the joy they felt when Drogba scored in Munich? Not a
chance. Is a return to success inevitable? Hmm..
Considering our team is based around potentially the three best attacking
players in the Premier League it would seem that would be true. Although winning a
league requires strength in depth if you are competing in Europe and a good
slice of luck, frequently. I think it is inevitable if we keep
Mata/Oscar/Hazard they are unbelievable together and provide so many problems
for defenders but they need a top quality striker to compliment them. There really only is one realistic answer for
Chelsea fans and who they want as their next manager. The Special One has to
return. I'm a full blown hipster but the reality is Jurgen Klopp is happy at
Dortmund and unlikely to move to West London. At the same time Mourinho is
arguably the most successful manager in recent history and it would be foolish
to consider anyone over him. He commands respect and more importantly he brings
success. Whilst we are talking about success... What
area do Tottenham need to improve to challenge for the title? You've become fairly infamous as a Tottenham
fan on twitter for that comment about Arsenal finshing ahead of you in the
league for countless years, will finishing ahead of them bring more joy to you,
personally, than the feeling of finishing in the top four?Jack: We have probably the best goalkeeper in
England, a couple of very good centre-backs in Younes Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen
and a cracking midfield of Mousa Dembele, Sandro, Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon.
We could do with some more creativity - perhaps Holtby will be the man, but as I
said previously, we're desperately lacking up front. We don't have the depth for a
title challenge and that won't be rectified over the summer. I do have a few Arsenal followers based on
that tweet, but I stand by it. We've been inferior to them since I was a child
and I'm sick of it. Last season took a lot out of me. We were so far ahead of
them and playing much better football and we completely blew it, losing
Champions League football and local pride at the same time. It's in our own
hands to make amends and get the double crown of finishing above them and
qualifying for the Champions League. After all this time, it's the former
that'll give me the greater thrill. Nice talking to you, Ramon. We'll chat some
more after the game.

19 April 2013

This week I spoke to Manchester City blog Typical Cityabout Sunday's match.

The appointment of AVB was met
with skepticism by some, including many Tottenham fans, yet he seems to be
doing an excellent job. What are your feelings towards the manager?

Very positive. He did so well at
Porto and then so badly at Chelsea (with some caveats), so there was an element
of risk in the appointment.

Initially he made some
questionable decisions – selling Rafael van der Vaart, trying to sell Michael
Dawson, making William Gallas captain, picking Jake Livermore, staggering Hugo
Lloris’s introduction to the team – but he’s got the results and has generally
realised and rectified those errors.

Challenging for third place as
late as April is as good as we could have expected from this squad. I’m excited
about what he’ll be able to do when he’s made a couple of signings and has a
full season at White Hart Lane under his belt.